Apparatus for pumping liquids.



H. M. & T. M. CHANCE.

APPARATUS FOR PUMPING LIQUIDS.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1912.

CDLL'MBIA PLANOURAPII CDuV/ASNINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY M. CHANCE AND THOMAS IVI. CHANCE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR PUIVIPING- LIQUIDS.

To all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that we, HENRY M. CHANCE and THOMAS M. CHANCE, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain neu' anduseful Apparatus for Pumping Liquids.

Our invention relates to apparatus adapted for use in operating a methodof pumping liquids for which an application for patent was filed by usin the United States Patent Ofice November 6th, 1910, Serial Number590,790, and in which application said apparatus was shown but notclaimed. The method of pumping liquids which said application describesis one whereby a portion of the high pressure energy of agmedium havinghigh initial pressure and expansive force and a portion of the expansioncnergy of said medium is used to pump against relative high pressuresand the balance of the energy of said prime medium is used to pumpagainst relatively low pressure or to store energy in an accumulator'.In the apparatus which we have invented for carrying out this method ofpumping liquids, a large portion of the energy of the prime medium isused directly as potential energy in displacing liquid and dischargingit against relatively high pressure, a portion of the said energy isalso used in direct displacement work done upon an accumulator, aportion is used in developing velocity in the liquid which is beingforced toward the high pressure discharge and a portion is used indeveloping velocity in the liquid which is being forced toward theaccumulator, and the kinetic energy represented by these velocities isused respectively to discharge against the relatively high pressure andto'perform work upon said low pressure accumulator.

VFigure I is a central vertical cross-section of such an apparatus andFig.II is a central vertical cross-section of the same apparatus showinga different arrangement of the parts.

In Fig. I, 1 is a pump chamber, 2 is an extension of the pump chamber 1forming a conduit connecting said pump chamber 1 with an accumulator 3which is shown as an air chamber and intended to representdiagrammatically any type of accumulator or device capable of absorbingand giving Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 10, 1912.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Serial No. 670.356.

out energy. This accumulator is designed to be maintained at apressure'relatively lower than the pressure against which liquid is tobe pumped. A high pressure discharge 4. through the connection 5 isconnected with the conduit 2 at G, and the flow of liquid through thisconnection 5 is controlled by the high pressure discharge valve 7, whichmay be located in the connection 5 at any point between the highpressure discharge 4 and the point 6; and the point 6 which is thejunction of the high pressure connection 5 with the conduit 2 may belocated at the pump chamber 1 or at any point on the conduit 2 betweenthe pump chamber 1 and the accumulator 3. An inlet 8 for liquid to bepumped connects with the pump chamber 1 or with its extension 2, toadmit liquid to the apparatus and the flow of liquid through this inletis controlled by the inlet valve 9. A delivery main 10 may be attachedto the high pressure discharge lthrough a high pressure air chamber 11.

1While such high pressure air chamber is not essential to the apparatus,in most cases its use will increase the efficiency of the apparatus,especially where the liquid to be `pumped must be discharged through arelatively long delivery main. Vhen the discharge from this pumpingapparatus is herein referred to, it is intended to refer to the regionof the outlet 4: where the liquid pumped leaves the described connection5 and enters the high pressure air chamber, if no air chamber be usedthen the high pressure discharge 4 is at the outlet ofthe delivery main10, (although in such case the outlet maynot actually be at highpressure) and the delivery main 10 becomes a part of the connect-ion 5.The drawing shows a piston 12 working in the chamber 1 and a piston rod13 by `which the piston 12 may be connected with the piston rod of areciprocating prime mover such as a gas or steam engine or otherreciprocating prime mover actuated by an expanding medium.

In Fig. II the parts will be understood by the above description of Fig.I, like numbers referring to the same parts. This Fig. II illustratessome ofthe variations in the arrangement of the parts mentioned in theforegoing description showing the valves 7 and 9 in different positionsin the connection 5 and inlet 8, and showing a different location of thejunction 6 of the connection 5 with the pump chamber 1 and conduit 2. Inthis F ig. II the accumulator 3 is diagrammatically represented as avertical column which when filled with liquid will perform the functionsof an accumulator, but this may be made in the form of an air chamber orother device capable o-f absorbing and giving out energy. When such typeof accumulator be used the column is to be designed of height to produce-less pressure at its base than the pressure against which liquid is tobe pumped. It is understood that the inlet valve 9 may be located at anypoint in the inlet 8.

In constructing this apparatus we do not confine ourselves to theparticular arrangement of the parts shown by the drawings, for it isevident that the size, number, shape and arrangement of the parts may bevaried to suitA varying conditions of practice without departing fromour invention as herein described, and that two or more high pressureconnections may be used simultaneously to discharge liquid againstdifferent pressures and two or more inlets may be used to admit liquidto the apparatus. If the junction 6 of the high pressure connection 5with the conduit 2 be relatively close to the low pressure accumulator3, liquid can be pumped to pressures but slightly higher than that ofthe low pressure accumulator 3, but if this junction 6 be at, orrelatively close to the pump chamber 1 liquid may be pumped againstpressures nearly equal to the maximum pressure developed in the pumpchamber and by locating this junction 6 at the proper point between thepump chamber 1 and low pressure accumulator 8 liquid may be pumpedagainst any desired pressure within the range of the apparatus, whichhas for its high pressure limit a pressure slightly less than themaximum pressure delevoped in the pump chamber 1 and for its lower limitthe pressure at which the low pressure accumulator 3 is designed tooperate.

The quantity of liquid which can be discharged during each power stroke,the speed of operation, and the relation between the discharge pressureand the pressure of the low pressure accumulator will depend upon theshape, size and length of the conduit 2 and upon the shape, size andlength of the high pressure connection 5 and upon the location ofthejunction 6 of said connection 5 with the conduit 2 or pump chamber 1.

In an application for patent filed by us in the United States PatentOffice April 13th, 1911, Serial No. 620,804, for a method of pumpingliquids in which differences in pressure produced by an oscillating bodyof liquid are utilized to perform useful work, this apparatus is shownbut not claimed and we have therein described how the atmosphere may beused as a low pressure accumulator in connection with said apparatus. Itwill be understood that the air chamber 3 shown by the drawings isintended to represent an accumulator of any type capable of absorbingand giving out energy, and that when such accumulator takes the form cfa column of liquidi open to the atmosphere that the atmosphere mayperform or assist in performing the functions of an accumulator, andthat such an accumulator may be designed to operate at atmosphericpressure and may be maintained in free communication with theatmosphere.

The apparatus herein described enables us to pump liquids by methodswhich differ materially from those heretofore used. It will be observedthat by the use of conduits containing bodies of liquid acting both asliquid pistons and as iiywheels, it becomes possible to utilize aportion of the energy of the prime medium for direct displacement bypressure, so that only that portion of this energy-which is convertedinto kinetic energy must be transformed into potential energy to beconverted into useful work. The operation of our apparatusthereforediffers materially from that used in apparatus of the hydraulic ram typein which all the energy utilized to do useful work is at one stage ofthe cycle represented by the velocity of the moving mass, and from otherapparatus of types in which the moving mass acts upon an accumulator toraise the pressure or resistance of the accumulator up to a pressureequal to or greater than the pressure against which liquid is to bedischarged, and these differences in functions require correspondingdilferences in the construction of such apparatus.

The use of this apparatus increases the efficiency of those methods ofpumping in which a body of liquid is used as a pist-on and as a flywheelto store up and give out energy because as only a portion of the usefulenergy is transformed into kinetic energy represented by the velocity ofthe moving body of liquid, the velocity of said body of liquid may bereduced without decreasing the quantity of work done, and this decreasein velocity reduces the loss in energy from friction and eddy currentswhich attend the employment of relatively higher velocities.

In operating this apparatus the continued travel of the body of liquidafter the end -of the power impulse of the prime medium creates areduction in pressure at the inlet and permits a new increment of theliquid to be pumped to enter the apparatus, and the power stored intheaccumulator during the outward travel of the body of liquid, is utilizedto effect or to assist in effecting the return stroke of the primemover, to

react upon the prime medium in preparation for the next power stroke, todischarge liquid or to perform any or all of these functions.

The inlet valve to control the admission of liquid is shown in thedrawings as an automatic non-return flat-seated lift valve of a type incommon use, but we do not conine ourselves to the use of valves of thisparticular type for it is evident that valves of the puppet, globe,piston, disk or other types, single or multiple seated, or automaticallyor mechanically operated may be used to admit liquid to the apparatus.

The methods herein described, or partly described, 4as applicable foruse in the operation of this apparatus are not herein claimed, bein thesame methods claimed in the hereinbeore named applications for patentSerial Nos. 590,790 and 620,804.

Having described our invention, we claim,

l. An apparatus for pumping liquids comprising in combination a pumpchamber, an accumulator adapted to be operated at relatively lowpressure, an extension of said pump chamber forming a conduit connectingsaid pump chamber with said accumulator and establishing freecommunication between said pump chamber and said accumulator, aconnection from said conduit and pump chamber to a discharge outletadapted to discharge liquid against a relatively high pressure, adischarge valve, an inlet for the admission of liquid to said apparatusand an inlet valve, said inlet being connected with said conduit andpump chamber at a point in said apparatus relatively remote from saidhigh pressure discharge outlet.

2. An apparatus for pumping liquids comprising in combination a pumpchamber, an accumulator adapted to be operated at relatively lowpressure, an extension of said pump chamber forming a conduit connectingsaid pump chamber with said accumulator and establishing freecommunication between said pump chamber and said accumulator, aconnection from said conduit and pump chamber to a discharge outletadapted to discharge liquid against a relatively high pressure, arelatively high pressure accumulator connected to and in communicationwith said discharge outlet, a discharge valve, an inlet for theadmission of liquid to said apparatus and an inlet valve, said inletbeing connected with said conduit and pump chamber at a point in saidapparatus relatively remote from said high pressure discharge outlet.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names at Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, this eighth day of January, 1912.

HENRY M. CHANCE. THOMAS M. CHANCE. Witnesses:

CHAs BUSH, E. M. LEACH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

